Motivations and Preferred Activities of Tourists to Rural Destinations: A Comparative Analysis of Rural and Urban Residents

Motivations and Preferred Activities of Tourists to Rural Destinations: A Comparative Analysis of Rural and Urban Residents

The primary purposes of this study were to identify the perceived importance of motivations and activities for travel to a rural destination, and to determine whether these variables were influenced by the tourist’s place of residence. The study is based on an on-line survey completed by 1,048 individuals. A series of independent t-tests were used to determine whether there were differences in the motivations and preferred activities of rural residents versus urban residents, while canonical correlation analysis revealed relationships between the two sets of variables (motivations and activities). Findings suggest that rural destinations appeal to both rural and urban residents. In some instances, differences with regards to the motivations and activity preferences of these two groups were identified. Correlations between the motivations and activity preferences of respondents also suggest that rural tourists are interested in activities that are aligned with their initial motivations for deciding to travel to a rural area.